Dumping unwanted TVs, refrigerators, and other electronics and appliances along roadways, on vacant lots or in waterways is illegal and damages the environment. Violators will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

Friday, December 26, 2008

With the Christmas holiday winding down, it's time to think about removing live cut Christmas trees from your house before it becomes a fire hazard.

In Suisun City, you can get rid of your live cut tree this way:

Call the Boy Scouts at 707-421-5308 to schedule a whole tree pick up for January 6, 13 or 20. The Scouts ask for a $5 donation for trees under 6 feet tall, and $10 for larger trees or those that are flocked or tinseled.

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

The holidays are a terrific time for family and friends to gather together and celebrate. The Suisun City Police Department urges you to take a simple step to keep yourself and other motorists safe: Designate a driver.

A Designated Driver refrains from drinking alcohol, and is responsible to getting their riders safely to their destination. This is a statewide effort to reduce the number of alcohol-related collisions and fatalities on California's streets and highways.

In 2007, 1,616 people were killed in alcohol-related crashes in California. Additionally, 203,866 people were arrested for driving under the influence.

If you've had even one drink, don't risk getting behind the wheel. The Suisun City Police, California Highway Patrol and other law enforcement agencies will heighten their vigilance for drunk drivers during this holiday period.

If you see a suspected drunk driver, call 911 to alert the Highway Patrol.

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

We want everyone to have a safe and happy holiday season. The Suisun City Fire Department would like to help make sure that Suisun City residents are safe and secure by offering some simple tips to ensure a safe holiday:

Make sure your artificial Christmas tree is labeled, certified or identified by the manufacturer as fire retardant.

Check to see that your live cut tree has fresh, green needles that don't fall off easily when touched.

Cut about 1 to 2 inches off the trunk of your live cut tree before placing it in a stand that can hold water.

Make sure to add water daily because trees consume lots of water, and can dry quickly indoors.

Place your tree at least 3 feet away from a heat source, such as fireplaces, radiators, candles, heat vents or lights.

Make sure the tree is not blocking any exits.

Use lights that carry a label from an independent testing laboratory.

Replace any string of lights with worn or broken cords or loose bulb connections. String no more than 3 strands of mini string lights, and a maximum of 50 screw-in bulbs.

Never use candles to decorate a tree.

Always turn Christmas tree lights off before leaving home or going to bed.

Get rid of the tree when it begins to drop needles. Dry trees are an extreme fire hazard. Use an after-Christmas community disposal program to remove the tree from your property.

Monday, December 15, 2008

Suisun City has a tradition of working with neighborhoods and the community to ensure the quality of life for our residents.

Nowhere is this stronger than in the Police Department, which has worked consistently to arm residents with the tools they need to be proactive in ensuring crime does not become a significant problem in any neighborhood. Suisun City has a network of neighborhood watch groups that organize residents to work constructively with police.

On Tuesday December 23, the Police Department will host a general neighborhood watch meeting to bring together residents from across the City to coordinate efforts.

The meeting, which is open to anyone in Suisun City, will take place from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Suisun City Library Community Room, 601 Pintail Drive. The new library is located between Suisun Elementary School and the Fire Station.

Plan to attend this important meeting on Dec. 23 because building a safer city means building safer neighborhoods, and now is the time to work together.

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Everyone knows The Salvation Army. In the least, we recognize the annual Christmas kettle drive and know they do a lot of great work all over the country and the world.

But their work in recreation community centers wasn't really on a lot of people's radars locally until The Salvation Army showed interest in reopening the local recreation center shuttered by the YMCA.The review committees paid a visit to The Salvation Army's San Francisco center as part of the research done into selecting a new partner to operate our local center. Committee members were very impressed with what they saw, especially considering the SF Center is located in the Tenderloin District.

The San Francisco center is one of The Salvation Army's Kroc Centers, a network of community centers created through a massive $1.5 billion endowment from Ray and Joan Kroc, the founders of McDonald's. The Kroc Centers are truly impressive; definitely Cadillac examples of what recreation-based community centers can be when they are built from the ground-up on large tracts of land. The Salvation Army runs these centers at a very high service standard.

That's the important part for any future relationship here in Suisun City. The center on Pintail Avenue at East Wigeon likely will never be a full-blown Kroc Center. But that same approach, commitment and outlook would be applied here in Suisun City on a somewhat smaller scale.

SUISUN CITY - The Planning Commission unanimously approved changes to the exterior facade of the proposed Fresh & Easy location to allow the grocer to begin improvements at the Sunset Shopping Center.

Fresh & Easy, a small-scale grocer focused on regionally fresh produce and easy to prepare food, has proposed to open a store in about half of floor space previously leased to Albertson's, which closed locally in 2006.

The Community Development Department worked with the applicant to break what previously was a large single space for a store sign into two pieces to accommodate two tenants. Weingarten Realty anticipates leasing the remaining 15,000-square-foot space in the anchor tenant location to another business.

Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market is a local, neighborhood store providing fresh,wholesome foods at affordable prices to everyone. It is a company of Tesco, the UK’s largest retailer and one of the world’s leading international retailers. Tesco is investing $2 billion dollars over 5 years in the U.S.

Particularly given the dour economy, the results of this first local tree auction show the generosity of the Suisun City community.

The $2,420 total haul for the non-profits included $350 in prize money awarded by the business organizations to the first, second and third prize winners.

Groups participating were:

Cassa of Solano County

Twilight Rotary Club - Early Act Club

We "R" Family Childrens Christian Center

Sullivan Middle School Band Boosters

Kiwanis Club of Suisun City

NorthBay Healthcare Foundation

Solano Christian Academy

Fairfield Civic Theatre

Wednesday Club

Armijo High School Indian Softball Boosters

Kassondra R. Seney Relief Fund

Victory Outreach

Relay for Life - Papa Joe's Pit Crew

Fairfield-Suisun Community Action Council

Armijo High School Band Boosters

Cancer Support Group

Westwind 4-H Club

International Order of the Rainbow Girls #7

Congratulations to every group involved, and thank-you for decorating such beautiful trees!

A very special thank-you to the Suisun City Business Group and the Suisun City Historic Waterfront B.I.D. and their committee that brought this event together and worked tirelessly to make it such a success. This wouldn't be possible without you!

Saturday, December 6, 2008

The Solano Youth Theatre is putting 10 performances of the classic "Beauty and the Beast" in December utilizing three different casts in Suisun City's Harbor Theater, 720 Main Street. >>Click for Directions>> These talented young people from across the county have worked diligently to put this complex production together! When you come to the Suisun City Waterfront District, stop for a meal or snack at one of the 12 terrific restaurants - many within an easy walk of the theater!

The first-ever outdoor skate rink arrived at the Suisun City Waterfront District this morning amid the early December fog and chill. There's nothing like 30-degree temperatures to bring a skating mood!

The rink will be open

6-9 p.m. Friday (Dec. 5)

Noon - 8 p.m. Saturday (Dec.6)

Noon - 6 p.m. Sunday (Dec. 7)

Prices, with skates included:

Children (under 12) $2

Adults (ages 12-54) $3

Seniors (55+) $2

All skaters will need to sign a completed waiver before entering the skating surface.

We'd like to thank all our sponsors who made this exciting new Christmas at the Waterfront element possible:

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

The Suisun City Council has identified The Salvation Army as its top pick for further discussions regarding taking over the community center shuttered by the North Bay YMCA.This step allows both parties to focus on bringing back youth and family programs that are vital to supporting and strengthening the SuisunCity community.

The City Council Ad Hoc Committee and Citizens’ Advisory Committee assigned to review proposals from seven organizations wanting to re-open the facility, unanimously selected The Salvation Army as the top choice based upon its commitment to families, communities and the high level of service evident in more than 360 recreation centers it operates across the nation.

In making this determination, the top priorities of the City Council Ad Hoc and Citizens’ Advisory committees were to ensure:

Commitment to a safe place for children when schools are closed;

Commitment to partner with other community groups for facility usage;

Maximum access to programs regardless of ability to pay;

Pool operations;

Basketball court usage; and

Fitness center, including machines and free weights.

Representatives of the City and The Salvation Army have begun discussions on a financial arrangement to take on operations of this facility that meets the fiscal and service needs of both parties. Program and facility assessments are also underway. Timelines for reopening the facility are expected to become clearer after the first of the year.

After a rigorous series of interviews and site visits, The Salvation Army rose to the top of the list because of the quality of its operations, its desire to provide services not otherwise available in the community, and its commitment to becoming part of the community. Specifically, the committees were impressed with The Salvation Army’s commitment to provide a safe and fun environment for children, its flexibility in programming and membership rates, its wide base of financial support, and its worldwide reputation for enduring high-quality programs. The Salvation Army prides itself on providing support services to families to ensure their success economically and as a basic building block of society.

“The Salvation Army is much more than ‘bell ringers’ during the Christmas holidays and service providers to the homeless and other people in crisis,” said City Manager Suzanne Bragdon.

“Their services are far-reaching and include the operation of more than 360 community recreation facilities similar to what is being proposed in SuisunCity.They will be a welcome addition to our community.”

The Salvation Army is a faith-based Christian organization that has actively supported those in need without discrimination in the United States for 128 years. Nearly 29 million American receive assistance from The Salvation Army each year through a broad array of social services ranging from providing food for the hungry to relief for disaster victims, assistance for the disabled, outreach to the elderly and ill, clothing and shelter for the homeless, and opportunities for underprivileged children. About 82 cents of every dollar raised is used to support those services in 5,000 communities nationwide.

On December 1st, Suisun City Police Department Officers arrested seven individuals on two separate cases. The arrests began just after 3 a.m. when officers were dispatched to the area of Klamath Dr. regarding a report of juveniles looking inside parked cars. The suspects ran once the officers arrived, but the officers were able to apprehend them. The investigation confirmed various acts of theft and vehicle tampering. Four 16-year-old boys were arrested. Two reside in Suisun City; the third resides in Vallejo; and the fourth resides in Fairfield.

At about 10 a.m. a resident in the 1100 block of Lawler Ranch was awakened by a subject ringing his doorbell. Before he could answer his door, the subject began kicking the door to gain entry. The resident yelled out and the subject fled. The resident captured a good description of the getaway vehicle and called the Suisun City Police Department.

Suisun City Police Department Officers located a vehicle on Hwy 12 that was similar to what the resident had reported. A stop was made and three suspects were detained. The investigation confirmed the burglary attempt. The investigation also confirmed that numerous residences in that area had previously been identified as potential target homes. John Alcutt, a 25-year-old resident of Richmond, was arrested on charges of burglary, conspiracy, and a violation of probation. Garland Callum Sr., a 39-year-old resident of Berkeley, was arrested on charges of burglary and conspiracy. Callum’s 17-year-old son, a resident of Fairfield, was also arrested on charges of burglary and conspiracy.

These acts of theft and burglary are a reminder of the increase in crime many cities experience during the holidays. To help deter these types of crimes, residents are always encouraged to immediately telephone the police if unknown or suspicious vehicles or people are observed. It is exceptionally helpful when citizens are able to safely provide detailed information to the Dispatch Center about the suspicious vehicles or persons observed, as illustrated by the Lawler Ranch incident above. Further deterrent is realized by knowing and talking with your neighbors, starting or joining a neighborhood watch program, and by using quality theft prevention devices.

The Suisun City Marina is getting deeper day by day as two dredge rigs perform routine silt-removal to ensure this waterway remains Central Solano County's premier public marina.

The Roy G. Garren Construction team is working 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. six days a week to get thousands of cubic yards of accumulated silt out of the bottom of the waterway.

The dredge work also will clear Whispering Bay and the slough serving the homes along Marina Boulevard.

Improving the marina and keeping it suitable for a wide variety of boats is essential to the economic health of the Waterfront District, and the viability of the Solano Yacht Club, which routinely draws fellow boaters from across the Bay Area to Suisun City.

"It is a critcal asset that is more important than ever as we work hard to attract new restaurants and businesses to Harbor Square, solict new ventures to four remaining waterfront sites, and market to visitors to come and stay at our soon-to-be-opened waterfront hotel - all occurring during more than challenging economic times," said Recreation and Community Services Director Mick Jessop.